Early referral to palliative care: a randomised trial of patients with metastatic cancer and a survival expectation of less than 12 months

Early contact with palliative care services patients: a randomised trial of improvement in quality of life for newly detected incurable cancer patients with a survival expectation of less than 12 months.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12611001137987

Enrollment

150

Registered

2011-10-31

Start date

2003-04-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

It is not known when in the course of incurable cancer referral to a specialist palliative care service should optimally be made. It is hypothesised that early contact with palliative care services will improve patients' end of life experiences through better symptom control and quality of life; addressing patients' supportive care needs; reducing lines of chemotherapy, and reducing the likelihood of dying in the acute hospital setting.

Interventions

Contact with a palliative care (PC) nurse member of the hospital palliative care team who outines available palliative care services, offers to arrange review by a palliative care physician, and provides contact details. The PC nurse offers to telephone the patient monthly. The intervention continues during the lifespan of the patient.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

0 to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Metastatic and incurable cancer with a life expectation of <12 months

Exclusion criteria

previous contact with palliative care

Outcome results